< Nehemiah 2 >

1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes' reign, when the wine was brought in for him, I picked it up and gave it to the king. I had never before appeared before him looking sad,
Mjeseca Nisana, dvadesete godine kraljevanja Artakserksova, stajalo je vino pred kraljem. Uzeh ga i ponudih kralju. Nikada pred njim nisam bio tužan.
2 so the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad, even though you don't seem to sick? You must be really upset.” I was absolutely terrified,
Tada mi kralj reče: “Što ti je tužno lice? Nisi li možda bolestan? Nije drugo nego je tuga u tvome srcu!” Ja se veoma uplaših
3 but I replied to the king, “Long live the king live! How can I help being sad? The city where my forefathers are buried is in ruins, and its gates have been burned down.”
i rekoh kralju: “Neka uvijek živi kralj! Kako mi lice ne bi bilo tužno kad je grad gdje su grobovi mojih otaca razoren, a vrata mu ognjem spaljena?”
4 “So what do you want?” the king asked me. I prayed to the God of heaven, and answered the king,
Kralj me upita: “Što, dakle, želiš?” Zazvah Boga nebeskoga
5 “If it pleases Your Majesty, and if you are happy with me, I request you send me to Judah, to the city where my forefathers are buried, so I can rebuild it.”
i odgovorih kralju: “Ako je kralju po volji i ako ti je mio sluga tvoj, pusti me da odem u Judeju, u grad grobova mojih otaca, da ga obnovim.”
6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you come back?” The king agreed to send me, and I told him how long I would be gone.
Kralj me upita pred kraljicom, koja je sjedila kraj njega: “Koliko bi trajao tvoj put? Kada ćeš se vratiti?” Pošto sam utvrdio vrijeme koje je odgovaralo kralju, pusti me da odem.
7 I also asked him, “If it pleases Your Majesty, let letters be provided to give to the governors west of the Euphrates, so that they will allow me to pass safely until I reach Judah.
Još rekoh kralju: “Ako je kralju po volji, mogao bih ponijeti pisma upraviteljima s onu stranu Rijeke da me propuste do Judeje;
8 May I also have a letter for Asaph, warden of the king's forest, so he can give me timber to make beams for the gates of Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for the house I will live in.” Because my gracious God was upon me, the king gave me what I asked.
i pismo Asafu, nadgledniku kraljeve šume, da mi dadne drva za gradnju vrata na tvrđi Hrama, za gradski bedem i za kuću u kojoj ću se nastaniti.” I dade mi kralj, jer dobrostiva ruka Boga moga bijaše nada mnom.
9 Then I went to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates and gave them the king's letters. The king also sent a military escort of cavalry with me.
I dođoh tako k upraviteljima s onu stranu Rijeke i dadoh im kraljeva pisma. A kralj posla sa mnom časnike i konjanike.
10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were upset. For them this was a total disaster—that someone had arrived to help out the Israelites.
Kad to ču Sanbalat, Horonac, i sluga Tobija, Amonac, bi im vrlo mrsko što je došao čovjek da se zauzme za dobro Izraelaca.
11 I arrived in Jerusalem and rested for three days.
Stigavši u Jeruzalem, ostadoh ondje tri dana.
12 Then I got up during the night and went out with just a few men. I didn't explain to anyone what my God had put in my head to do for Jerusalem. I only took one horse to ride.
Zatim ustah noću, u pratnji nekoliko ljudi, nikomu ne povjerivši što mi je Bog moj nadahnuo da učinim za Jeruzalem; a nisam imao druge životinje osim kljuseta na kojem sam jahao.
13 So I rode in the dark through the Valley Gate toward the Spring of the Serpent and the Refuse Gate, and I inspected Jerusalem's walls that had been knocked over and the gates that had been burned down.
Iziđoh, dakle, noću na Dolinska vrata i uputih se Zmajevskom izvoru, a zatim prema Smetlišnim vratima: razgledao sam jeruzalemski zid gdje je bio razoren i vrata koja su bila spaljena.
14 Then I continued on to the Fountain Gate and the King's Pool, but we couldn't get through as there wasn't enough room to pass.
Nastavio sam put prema Izvorskim vratima i Kraljevskom ribnjaku, ali nisam našao prolaza za životinju na kojoj sam jahao.
15 So I went up along the valley in the dark and inspected the wall. Then I returned, going back through the Valley Gate.
Uspeo sam se zato noću uz Potok, i dalje razgledajući zid, i ponovo sam ušao na Dolinska vrata. Tako sam se vratio,
16 Those in charge of the city had no idea where I had gone or what I was doing, because I hadn't yet told the Jews, priests, nobles, or officials or any others about the construction plans.
a da savjetnici nisu primijetili kamo sam otišao i što sam učinio. Sve do sada nisam ništa rekao Židovima: ni svećenicima, ni velikašima, ni savjetnicima, ni drugima nadstojnicima.
17 Then I said to them, “Look at the trouble we're in! Jerusalem is a heap of rubble, and its gates have been burned down. Come on, let's rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we won't be so ashamed any more.”
Tada im rekoh: “Vidite u kakvoj smo nevolji: Jeruzalem je u ruševinama, a vrata mu spaljena. Hajte, sagradimo jeruzalemski zid da više ne budemo izloženi ruglu.”
18 Then I explained to them how good God had been to me, and what the king had told me. “Let's get on with the rebuilding,” they replied, and they set to work enthusiastically.
I objasnih im kako je dobrostiva ruka Boga moga bila nada mnom, a saopćih im i riječi koje mi kralj bijaše rekao. “Ustanimo”, povikaše oni, “i gradimo!” I ukrijepiše im se ruke na dobro djelo.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab got to hear about it, they mocked and taunted us, asking, “What are you up to? Are you rebelling against the king?”
Na te vijesti počeše nam se rugati Sanbalat, Horonac, i sluga Tobija, Amonac, i Gešem, Arapin. Prezirno su nam govorili: “Što radite ovdje? Hoćete li se pobuniti protiv kralja?”
20 But I replied, telling them, “The God of heaven, he will make sure we're successful. We, his servants, will begin rebuilding, but Jerusalem doesn't belong to you, and you have no authority over it or claim to it.”
Ali im ja odgovorih ovim riječima: “Nebeski će nam Bog dati da uspijemo. Mi, sluge njegove, ustasmo da gradimo. A vi nemate ni dijela, ni prava, ni spomena u Jeruzalemu.”

< Nehemiah 2 >